Superior to move forward on Weldona Way closure designs

Vote by trustees essentially ends access debate

A barricade closing the intersection of 88th Street and Weldona Way on Thursday in Superior. (Jeremy Papasso / Staff Photographer)

Superior's controversial Weldona Way closure will remain in effect, trustees voted earlier this week, essentially putting an end to a roughly five-month debate on whether to move forward on permanent designs for the vexing intersection.

The decision — approved 5-2 on Monday — allows staff to contract for up to $65,000 for construction at Weldona Way and 88th Street. Since August, when trustees initially closed the roadway following an outcry from locals, the passage has been blocked with three concrete barriers.

Officials say the temporary obstacle likely will be replaced with more aesthetically pleasing bollards — short posts typically used to divert traffic but can be driven over by emergency vehicles. Mayor Clint Folsom has said the decision to move forward on designs is, for him, about safety concerns.

"One of the hardest parts of this job is having to make decisions that you know are going to make people unhappy," he told residents in attendance at Monday's board of trustees meeting. "After all, we're just all residents up here, too."

He said the vote centered on improving the condition of the passageway rather than revisiting the closure issue altogether. If the contract authorization had failed, the temporary closure could have lasted for months, and with it the continued blockage of emergency vehicles, he said.

The debate began last fall when a contingent of neighbors tired of constant traffic from students and those looking for a shortcut petitioned town leaders to close the intersection.

Advertisement

The saga has spawned several social media outlets, including an unofficial survey, a Facebook page titled "Open Weldona" and an online petition.

Residents closer to 88th Street have long enjoyed the access it affords, according to several people at Monday's meeting.

However, those living along Weldona closer to the heart of the neighborhood have argued that in the months since the closure, traffic flow has been down, and with it, has come a newfound quiet and secureness.

Some, including Trustee Laura Skladzinski, who voted against the resolution Monday, have questioned whether mitigation efforts have truly slowed the flow of traffic through the neighborhood.

"For me this wasn't a vote about reopening (the intersection) but about the specific closure designs and the cost proposed with it," Skladzinski said Wednesday. "I didn't feel we had all the data to make the decision — we didn't have data on speeds and volume, so there was no way to tell if the solution was effective."

Mayor Pro-Tem Mark Lacis ahead of Monday's vote said, "I think that we made the right decision in August and I'm not interested in reconsidering that decision."

The Boulder alt-country band gives its EPs names such as Death and Resurrection, and its songs bear the mark of hard truths and sin. But the punk energy behind the playing, and the sense that it's all in good fun, make it OK to dance to a song like "Death." Full Story